Stay in Shape This Summer and Save Money

When I was growing up my sisters and I used to swim competitively. Every summer we would swim for the Elks Club against other local swim teams and little did I know that I would later enjoy it just as much as I did when I was a kid. As I got older and settled into a desk job, the weight started creeping on. I knew I had to start exercising, so I joined a gym. A few years ago, I moved to be closer to my job and found an apartment with some great amenities. It has a workout room with a treadmill, a weight lifting machine, stationary bike and a stair stepper.

The apartment complex also has two pools which I thought was great. So, I started going down to the pool before work to get in a good swim workout and sometimes in the evening. I thought, well, why I am paying for a gym membership, when during the summer I can just swim and save myself some money.

So last year, I was thinking of some ways to save money and that’s when it hit me. I could stop my gym membership that was around $45 a month for about 4 months and just utilize the fitness room and the pool at my apartment. I saved about $180.00, not bad huh? We all know that with the economy the way it is, I think we are all looking for a few ways to save a little money here and there and this is a great way. Now if you don’t live in an apartment complex or have a pool in your backyard, it might be a little tough. Maybe you have a friend or know someone that has a pool or lives in an apartment and you could go workout with them. Let them know they could save a little money too and you might just move right on up on their friend’s list.

We all know swimming is a great exercise and it burns tons of calories. What more could you want, when you are either trying to lose weight or stay in shape? One important fact that Bucknell University states is the resistance water offers you versus working out on land. The water offers 12%-14% more resistance than when you exercise on land. Even if you don’t like to swimming laps, you can walk laps in the water or tread water, both burn a lot of calories. With that being said, swimming is great for everyone, from the elderly, to the obese, to the athlete and everyone in between. I love it so much that sometimes I forget I am actually exercising and let me tell you from experience, you will never be consistent if you hate what you are doing. So this summer, maybe try to cut your expenses and go for a swim. You can whittle your waist while you save some money!